Pre-race festivities and packet pickup was very nice. Not a lot of vendors, but enough to be expected for an inaugural race.
With the half-marathon capped at 7,500, and an actual of 6,500 runners, it was a pleasant run. It ran late and understandably so, but some communication should have been passed through the corrals at the very least.
The course itself as noted by others, wasn’t that newbie friendly. The hills and endless parking lot maze at Dodger Stadium make for a mundane run. Entertainment throughout Dodger stadium would have helped, and it would have been nicer if everyone stayed the full 4 hours. The back groups need the motivation the most and we were left to support ourselves, which isn’t new to us, but external support is always greatly appreciated.
That being said, the finish line was extremely anti-climatic. Other races I’ve done, the last half mile, let alone that last .1, has always had a good crew of spectators and announcers cheering everyone on, because let’s face it, whether you finish first or 6,500th, you just finished a half marathon and you deserve all the congratulations! We shouldn’t have to feel like we’re just leftover dust. The announcer was gone, and so was the post-race festivities. The band was packing up as I came across, all vendors were gone except for a couple food trucks. Red Bull was gone, no post-race food left except for a few bunches of green bananas… barely any heat sheets left.
What I can say and will commend the Group for organizing, is the planning that went through this. I can empathize that there was a lot going on, and the volunteers they gathered were some of the best I’ve encountered. They were energetic through the end, and they really motivated us.
I will be coming back next year because I want to see if any of our comments and feedback were taken into consideration. I am happy that I did this race and that I was part of the Inaugural event, and I know that it can only get better from here.